Episodic Thoughts: “Bullet Brain” (Episode 8)
Bullet Brain <神探高倫布>
TVB Series 2013
Cast: Wayne Lai, Edwin Siu, Natalie Tong, Ngo Ka Nin, Sire Ma, Joe Junior, Corinna Chamberlain, Brian Burrell, Lau Dan, and Davily Leung.
Disclaimer: This is a watch as I write episodic thoughts and some information may not be accurate since this is memory based. Certain dialogue is reproduced with some creative license adopted. I apologize if there is any mistake. All opinion remains my own.
*Spoilers*
EPISODE 8
“COLUMBO.. IS.. DEADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ”
I crashed to earth and was incinerated as I entered earth’s atmosphere. What a bummer of an episode. After episode 8, I am convinced that I will do myself a service by NOT continuing to recap the series. It may be better but from the looks of it, I am afraid not. So yes, this will be my last recap for this series. I give up. I will continue to watch but seriously I have no time to recap something I feel no passion for. I don’t hate it, I don’t love it, which always makes for bad recaps.
Recap!
Columbo or Dai Hei or whatever fell and he saw Ping On motionless and he crawled to Ping On whilst crying “Ping On! Ping On!” and once there he cried some more “Virgin Mary, please don’t let him die! I give you my life in exchange of his! Take my life, ok? Take mine and return his, ok?” and he took the gun and tried hard to shoot himself but in the end chickened out and fainted.
The rest I need not recap in details. I just need to summarise;
Eva alone and approached by Joanna and they became friends and Joanna teased Eva about liking Columbo and how nice Columbo is, etc and…
I couldn’t stand it anymore and I screamed “IT IS DAI HEI!! NOT COLUMBO!!”. Why you ask? It is not even consistent! Joanna knew Dai Hei as Dai Hei. When Dai Hei started to call himself Columbo she probably moved back to England! She should have and would have called Dai Hei as Dai Hei so all this Columbo nonsense is just inconsistency that I absolutely hate. And Joanna looks to me an airhead. Anyway all was well until Joanna thought Ping On liked Eva and she started go bitchy on Eva until they found out Ping On was shot, Columbo fell from 1st floor in the church and they were both rushed to the hospital and both having brain surgery. And all the time I wondered all those PING ON!!!! DAI HEI!!!! VIRGIN MARY!!!! shouts in the church, surely the priest would have known. And indeed a priest found them and called 999. At that time already got the number 999?
At the hospital Eva and Joanna were told both men were in grave danger and Joanna fainted. Kam and Eva talked to the press and Eva told the press to pray for both men, where she saw Columbo as a superhero and Eva told daddy she wanted to investigate what happened and dragged Joanna along and they went home and saw everything a mess and in the end Eva asked Joanna for keys to Columbo’s place and she went there and as she looked at his things, trying to understand him she saw Columbo doing the things she imagined he would do but in my opinion he certainly would not do and she smiled sadly. Surgery still going on by the way and things do not look good. Ping On’s brain was seriously damaged, whilst Columbo’s insides were bleeding. Both men were seriously and critically injured but Eva was sure they will be ok.
Meanwhile FINALLY NATALIE TONG appears and guess what? A complete dud. I tell you Sire Ma is the leading lady here. Natalie’s first appearance tells us:-
a. she is insane. I mean who will cook in the darkness with flickering light and dressed all in red?
b. she looks insane. Did she kill someone and cook their meat to feed to the guys helping her to carry her things to or from the place?
c. she must be insane as she went to see the marriage registry to register her marriage to Ko Dai Hei!
d. she has had a bad life because her hair is prematurely greyed.
e. she hates Eva. She sees Eva in the elevator and Eva called her “Auntie” (yeah, AUNTIE which shows how old she is or has grown to be due to harsh life) and immediately ran out.
Yeap, that’s the appearance of Natalie Tong as Mui Mui. I know it was supposed to be serious but it was very funny, silly and stupid. It was unintentionally funny.
Back to Eva who went to see Joanna who became very depressed over Ping On and weirdest scene followed where Eva, Joanna and Kam went for picnic and sang the Beatles song. Really weird.
Later Eva was told by the doctor that there was nothing much he can do for Columbo and that Columbo was dying. She went to see him and guess what? HE FLAT LINED!!!!
COLUMBO.. IS.. DEADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Episode 9, I am sure Columbo isn’t dead but I am not recapping anymore. I am fed up.
This series has multiple problems. Each and every episode is like the last episode because everything so damn extreme and ended so extreme and so how to go on? Here you have 2 main characters in coma, TWO MAIN CHARACTERS and that is like the entire series and for entire episode 8, you have Sire Ma holding the fort and I didn’t enjoy her little girl fantasies of the superhero Columbo. She seems delusional, Joanna seems childish and Mui Mui is flat out crazy. What is it with the women in this series?!
So what’s next for Columbo? He obviously won’t die. It is only episode 8 unless Wayne himself said I AM DONE! So he may wake up as Dai Hei again. What about Ping On? Perhaps remain in coma? Or becomes the next Columbo? Surely 2 head wounds/bullet can’t equal amazing recovery. That would be a miracle and next we will see Virgin Mary herself appearing. And with Natalie being flat out insane from the get go, what’s next? More insanity OR she disappears and returns as another woman? How many double identities do we have in this series?
Is this series confusing? No of course not. It is just driving around a very small roundabout and over the same scenery again and again and again. Episode 7 was glorious because it moved on, it has a dramatic appeal and heart wrenching dialogue but when episode 8 started with Columbo rolling on the floor and crying and stuff, the magic was gone. Then we have Eva doing what she was doing, it felt like this was episode 24 before the final episode. This series is like upside down in its content.
So how does it go on? It can’t, without being repetitive, cliche and totally mindblowingly boring. This series has some great actors, some potentially fine actresses but the story is like the first draft of a script where the writers just throw in anything they can think of, to shock, to surprise but no follow up on that elements.
So in the end it is at episode 8 a complete dud. And you have 1t episodes to go? What more can be said?
I wished TVB had follow through with the sales presentation version. This one neither funny nor sad except for certain scenes.
I refuse to blame the actors. I blame the writer and the director. The actors are saddled with incomplete characters, unsatisfying story that goes nowhere. For once I want investigation and they give me unnecessary drama. I cringed at those letter written by folks thanking Columbo for everything. Like Ping On, I was thinking “You can lie to them all but you can never lie to me Columbo!”
And this series is exactly that line. With very good actors and some nice costumes, it looks good but deep down it is an interesting concept badly developed.
In the end it is a dud and I am done recapping it. This is by far Lee Tim Shing’s worst production and I am very disappointed. Perhaps it might be better, and if so I may revisit it with a recap or two. But for now, I think to safeguard my sanity, I will watch this series but not recap it so that I won’t have to relive every minute detail and the horror of them all.
Thank you for reading my recaps and giving me your comments. Perhaps another series will yield a complete recap. But not this time, not this one. For my sake.
RELATED ARTICLES
- Episodic Thoughts: “Bullet Brain” (Episode 1)
- Episodic Thoughts: “Bullet Brain” (Episode 2)
- Episodic Thoughts: “Bullet Brain” (Episode 3)
- Episodic Thoughts: “Bullet Brain” (Episode 4)
- Episodic Thoughts: “Bullet Brain” (Episode 5)
- Episodic Thoughts: “Bullet Brain” (Episode 6)
- Episodic Thoughts: “Bullet Brain” (Episode 7)
This Episodic Thoughts was written by Funn Lim, a Contributing Writer at JayneStars.com, and was originally posted at http://p2e-bulletbrain.blogspot.com.
I will wait for your overall series review.
Here’s my review. It is effing SUCKS. TVB great job.
100% agree, based on the first two episodes. I gave up after that.
NATALIE TONG, she acted very well on thes drama. Mystic and Scary . I consider a breakthrough for her
Good, at least some people liked watching this drama series.
I gave up on it a while ago.
I still like to watch this series because of Wayne ‘s performance; at least this series is better than “Missing you” and “season of love”. Just watching the series for entertaining.
Are you a Wayne’s fan?
Obviously. Only Wayne’s fans would love him for any roles he acts and in any drama series.
I m a Wayne’s fan , but I can’t stand this series .Gave up already .
Ling
Then you are a very smart person!
Bravo.
I am not a fan for anyone but I like to watch Wayne’s series because he knows how to act; for me, this series is not great but it is OK to watch; i don’t want heavily hurting others by giving so strict comments.
I find the first 6 episodes kind of bored. At the 7th episode onwards, I find this series is getting better. The appearance of Natalie Tong makes me wants to know more about her. Her acting was okay, very different from her previous roles. I hope this can be a breakthrough for her.
I think we’re finally getting into the main plot now with Genius vs Genius, Relentless Cop vs Cop with a Conscience once they’re both up and about.
I liked Natalie so far, I can’t help but think that the soup she made was from the woman’s husband and the two bags were likely his remains. Would explain why she has so much money for plastic surgery.
Sounds like how I guessed it except one is still a jerk and the other still nice?
More or less, Columbo will still be Columbo and Pierre’s Columbo might have a conscience.
That or Pierre turns even more ruthless and allows Wayne to steer towards a brighter path after seeing a darker reflection of what he could’ve been had he continued his path.
My guess for now anyways
Funn…for your own sanity, please stop watching the drama!! there’s so many wrongs with it..i just don’t know where to start!!it’s just too exasperating to even try.
I think Funn will not stop watching the series because she is knowledgeable to understand the series and she also enjoys actors’s acting such as Wayne and Pierre Ngo. The series is not bad; it is rated 9.2 with the highest scale is 10; If you don’t believe then go to web site “gooddrama.net” to check. It is also rated 4 stars with the highest scale is 5 stars at “phim88.com”; over one hundred thousands time hits the series just in a week. The series in both sites mentioned above are in English not China language. Perhaps the audiences of two both side are knowledgeable that they do not feel confusing with the new plots of the series.
The ratings on those pirate TVB dramas site are useless, they are not reputable.
I just watched ep 9 and 10. natalie’s back story is so pitiful and then the series had to spoil it with her constant imagination of Wayne beside her. I don’t know whether to laugh or just scream.
Laugh or scream both are good because it is better than having no reaction at all!!!
Just finished ep.10, not too bad. If episode 9 was more dedicated to develop Eva then 10 was a deeper look at Muimui. Two different POVs from two lovers and a peek at their inner worlds respectively.
Eva has the childish crush and Muimui looks like she wants to cling on to a lifevest in form of Da Hei after the suffering she’s been through in the past 20 years. I gave her pity points for her past, getting locked like that for 3 years must’ve driven her to the edge of insanity and she lost it after her daughter (mental reliance) was kidnapped.
Her own view of Columbo is exaggerated to the point where it might be comical but then I got to thinking that this is deep in her world. She’s looking for that love and perfect life that she feels was denied to her so she turns Columbo into more then he really is which also happens to match Eva’s view of him as a superhero.
That got me to theorize that Eva might be her daughter now since they’re roughly in the same age group and Eva was adopted.
I think the characters have been fleshed out now even if it was a bit draggy and episode 11 has Columbo 1 and possibly Columbo 2 waking up as well which will make it more interesting cause we have two Sherlocks and we don’t know which one will be worse.
Too bad Beauty at War 2 is coming out though, it’ll most likely make the series suffer more.
Mui Mui’s story is tragic until she starts imagining Columbo as some superman saviour scene which spoiled everything. This series is confused. Comedy? Drama? However some were really good but some were unintentionally funny. And both women are as delusional. Eva is delusional because she is having this relationship with Columbo of her own expectation. I bet she will crash to earth when she sees the real columbo. As for Mui Mui, she is downright insane and having a full fledge relationship with her imagination that interestingly is Columbo. I am sure Dai Hei will take care of her but it seems both women loved columbo except neither new the real columbo. No one visited columbo in hospital, everyone visited Ping On, kinda telling isn’t it? What a weird series. I however am curious about Mui Mui’s daughter. Any young actress on the cast list? Maybe she will see her daughter again. Probably kidnapped by her own father, what a bastard.
Natalie Tong is too young for this role though. However she hasn’t start to annoy yet eventhough she is still dramatic but some scenes, rightly dramatic, in others I just laughed.
“That got me to theorize that Eva might be her daughter now since they’re roughly in the same age group and Eva was adopted.”
I thought so too but the age doesn’t compute. She reportedly left the village 20 years ago, so her daughter must be mid or late teens. Eva being an inspector has to be mid 20s. Columbo has to be mid 30s, like Mui Mui. So it doesn’t seem to compute. But then TVB can just throw in that fact and not bother with logic.
Natalie is playing the daughter. Last time she said she would be playing two roles mother and daughter.. But who knows maybe they changed it.
Oh true, I forgot about that. Natalie will be playing her own daughter unless it gets changed.
I have no clue what this series is billed as but I think it’s suppose to be a drama except they added in a lot of comedy and quite a bit was unintentional.
It’s pretty obvious Eva isn’t deeply in love with Columbo, she’s forcing herself to make it seem so. She re-affirms that belief after Joanna ditches Ping On but she has already hinted that Fei Long is on her mind as well.
Mui Mui is a bit harder to pinpoint. So far it would seem that because of her past, she wants to cling on to some happiness that she could’ve had but as Eva points out she might just be in love with Columbo for his fame and money. It could be possible though that since she’s broken mentally she has convinced herself that she’s madly in love with Dai Hei or she’s just using him in her imagination as a way to shield herself since he was the only one who had ever cared for her.
Poor Dai Hei though, no one remembers him except Ping On. Columbo is an ass, but he must’ve been a really big one to have no one visit him at all. Dai Hei seemed well liked by his colleagues but whatever Columbo did, it must’ve erased any good will they had for Dai Hei.
I disagree.
Eva is deeply in love with the Columbo in her mind. Mui Mui is in love with Dai Hei with the image of Columbo. Neither women are standing on reality but rather their own warped reality.
i quite like this so called cheesy cum sophistication perspective ,edgy drama angle..if u study closely the whole story is not the main point more of the character point of view,,luv the production set,the custom..tht pierre ng look so cute
It got very boring fast. Didn’t have high hopes for it before it aired but I thought it looked promising after giving it a chance. Little did I know it would go downhill from there. Hope the Piere surgery moves things along. This series is making me worry how No Reserve will turn out.
Too much complaining for the series but it is “easier said than done.”
I’ve settled on watching this like a dramatic parody in the fashion of Chik series Fly With Me but less successful.
Makes this much more enjoyable – look for all the possible Tim Gor tropes along with all other possible B grade sci fi tropes plus massive list of cliches.
Sire Ma can’t act – her accent is terrible and horrible..